…according to guest blogger Serena Piper

By guest blogger Serena Piper
Journalism major at the University of Oregon. Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus Oregon. Magazine, freelance blogger, future world traveler. In her spare time, she likes to read as many books as she can, go for long drives, and peruse news websites. Hopes to one day write for National Geographic.

Songs can be a symbol of something important that happened to us. They can remind us of happy times with friends and family and sad times of heartbreak.

Here are the top 10 songs of 2011 (in no particular order) that we will forever remember for one reason or another:

‘It Will Rain’ by Bruno Mars. A chorus that gives you goosebumps is always memorable. So is the fact that it played during the credits of Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

‘Sexy and I Know It’ by LMFAO. At first the lyrics make you want to laugh, and then you watch the music video and…nope, it makes you laugh even more. The song has an incredibly addicting beat and who can resist the hilarity that comes with five guys in speedos thrusting their, um, packages in our faces?

‘Someone Like You’ by Adele. If there was ever a song about empowerment and finally telling yourself that you are able to move on from a broken relationship, it’s this one. Past heartbreaks are a little less painful when there’s a song to perfectly describe how you feel and a reminder that you’re not the only one to go through something painful. Plus, Saturday Night Live did a spoof about this song, so now we know it’s legit.

‘Remind Me’ by Brad Paisley ft. Carrie Underwood. A song review by tasteofcountry.com says “The chorus plays like a couple rediscovering lost romance over a glass of wine.” Carrie’s amazing voice combined with Brad’s sweet country twang make for a song similar to a wake-up call. “Now we keep saying that we’re OK / But I don’t wanna settle for good not great.”

‘Stereo Hearts’ by Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine. Stereo Hearts takes the cake for being creative and using metaphors about literally being a piece of music in different situations. Besides the catchy melody and sweet lyrics, it’s a song we’ll never get tired of.

‘Good Life’ by OneRepublic. It’s one of those roll-down-the-car-windows-and-blast-it-as-loud-as-you-can songs. Perfect for representing the summer of 2011.

‘The Lazy Song’ by Bruno Mars. I can’t tell you how many times my roommate and I listened to this song on our way to class each morning; it became our theme song until we were actually able to be lazy! And the music video was created in just one take!

‘F**k You’ by Cee Lo Green. Provocative lyrics, fun and artsy. The perfect song to belt out to, even if the radio’s edited version doesn’t have the same umph!

‘Baggage Claim’ by Miranda Lambert. I love Miranda’s kick-butt attitude, which comes across loud and clear in ‘Baggage Claim.’ Despite being married to a fellow country star, the snappy lyrics in this song remind us that Miranda hasn’t lost her sharp tongue.

‘Firework’ by Katy Perry. I’m not a dedicated fan of hers yet, but I have to admit that this one has an inspirational message: believe in yourself.